Meet the
TeamCobalt Investment Partners is built on a deep foundation of local relationships combined with business and market insight. With a history of success investing in commercial real estate, we know the key owners and users. Our deep knowledge of the submarket’s specific trends allows us to identify gaps in underserved segments of the market. This understanding enables us to acquire under-valued properties and reposition them to better serve the changing needs within the community, while at the same time capturing significant gains for our partners.
The team behind Cobalt has a history of success investing in commercial real estate, enabling the firm to search and identify off-market opportunities before they are listed on the open market. Together we work to make the Bay Area a better place. Our investors sleep better at night knowing their investment is safe and acting as a positive force for change.
Robert Hefty, Ph.D.
Robert founded Cobalt Investment Partners in 2017 and oversees all investment projects. He is passionate about finding the best deals for partners and believes in keeping partners informed and involved, regardless of their experience level in commercial real estate. He carries forward an entrepreneurial approach to business development, providing mentorship and advice to local business partners and the commercial real estate investing community.
He spent the first 15 years of his career working in customer support, business development, and operations in the technology sector for Lam Research Corp, where he was a key contributor to the company’s growth from $500 million to over $11 billion in annual revenue.
Daniel Plouffe
Daniel joined Cobalt Investments in 2022. In addition to co-developing investment strategy with Bob, he leads investor relations, actively manages several assets across their life cycles, and serves as acting CFO for Cobalt’s full portfolio.
He pivoted mid-career into commercial real estate and relocated to the Bay Area for an MBA in Real Estate Development from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. While there, he worked for a multifamily developer in San Francisco, analyzing projects across the Bay Area and assisting in the entitlement of a 27-story tower in SoMa. Prior to real estate, he worked at ASML in San Diego, helping grow their semiconductor manufacturing technology into the dominant platform behind the world’s most advanced chips.
Daniel earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and has explored careers in investment banking, railroad operations, and running his own computer repair business. He regularly travels the world, exploring different cultures and searching for the best ski slopes.
Adan Martinez
Adan Martinez is a Principal at Cobalt Investments, joining the team in 2020. A specialist in tenant-centric development, Adan ensures building attributes are tailored to the technical needs of modern industry. His cradle-to-grave development expertise spans the entire project lifecycle, from land remediation and complex entitlements to construction financing and leasing.
He previously spent 17 years as a broker at Cushman & Wakefield, where he led the Bay Area Food & Beverage Practice Group and facilitated over $500 million in commercial transactions. He later co-founded Alameda Point Redevelopers, leading the adaptive reuse of a 272,000 SF facility at the former Alameda Naval Base into a large-scale work-live community.
Adan attended Saint Mary’s College of California and is deeply rooted in the East Bay community. Outside of real estate, he has coached youth basketball teams throughout the region since the early 2000s.
Simon Baird
Simon acts as the operations director and leads investor communications for Cobalt Investment Partners, leveraging his bevy of past experience.
Simon’s path to Cobalt comes through the world of residential investment and property management. Working as the operations manager at WayPoint Equity Partners and Urban Pioneer in San Francisco, Simon helped to grow and manage a portfolio of over 1,000 multi-family residential units. Working during the financially challenging period of the late 2000s gave Simon valuable insight into working within slim budgets and tight constraints.
He took a brief hiatus from commercial real estate to build a nationally recognized and awarded orthodontic office with his wife, quickly achieving Diamond+ status as a top 1% Invisalign provider. After successfully launching and stabilizing a now thriving practice, he decided to return to the familiar and stimulating world of real estate investing.
Outside of the office, Simon enjoys an eclectic range of hobbies and interests. When not enjoying a fine bourbon, he can be found trail running or backpacking through the hills of the Bay Area, vaulting and swinging over obstacles at local spartan races, or spending quiet time cooking, reading, or building legos with his children. He earned a BS in managerial economics from UC Davis.
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